Speaker: PhD Wenche Dramstad, PhD Grete Stokstad, PhD Wendy Fjellstad, PhD Christian Pedersen, PhD Hanne Sickel (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO))

Recognising that the intensification of agriculture affects not only production but also biodiversity, Norway established a national monitoring programme specifically for agricultural landscapes in 1998. This programme, known as 3Q, was inspired by the UK Countryside Survey. The 3Q programme is a sample‑based survey in which 1000 monitoring squares of 1 km² were selected, each located where agriculture was present at the centre of a 3 × 3 km grid. Although the sampling design has been adjusted since its inception, the overall approach remains largely unchanged. Land cover and land use are mapped from aerial photographs every five to seven years. A random subsample of ca. 130 squares was selected for field‑based monitoring of birds and ca. 100 squares for monitoring vascular plants in grassland habitats. In addition, transect surveys for bumblebees and butterflies have been carried out at 20 squares. Our presentation will cover the objectives of the programme, methods, reporting, organisation and funding. We will share some key findings related to trends in biodiversity, landscape structure and composition, and reflect on the value of long‑term ecological monitoring.